Aloysius Gonzaga was born on 9 March 1568 in the castle of Castiglione. At eight he was placed at the court of Francesco de' Medici in Florence, and two years later he went to Mantua. At twelve, at Brescia, he came under the guidance of St Charles Borromeo, who gave him his First Communion. In 1581 he went to Spain with his father, and he and his brother became pages to the son of Philip II. There he resolved to become a Jesuit (member of the Society of Jesus, founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola).

Back in Italy in 1584, he had great difficulty winning his father's consent. On 2 November 1585 he renounced his inheritance in favour of his brother, which needed the emperor's approval, since Castiglione was an imperial fief, and he entered the Society of Jesus later that month. He made his vows on 25 November 1587 and began studying theology.

In 1591, in his fourth year of theology, famine and plague broke out in Italy. Though his own health was delicate, he gave himself to nursing the sick. On 3 March he fell ill, and he died on 21 June 1591. He was canonized (officially declared a saint by the pope) in 1726, and his remains lie in the church of Sant'Ignazio in Rome.

…open his door more than slightly, and then resolutely shut his eyes whilst listening to the message. He assured his director that he did not know one lady of his relations by sight, much less one of the female servants of the palace. His modesty was carried to such a pitch that he could not even change his stockings in the presence of a footman.

​Aloysius Gonzaga, Saint, b. in the castle of Castiglione, 9 March, 1568; d. 21 June, 1591. At eight he was placed in the court of Francesco de' Medici in Florence, where he remained for two years, going then to Mantua. At Brescia, when he was twelve, he came under the spiritual guidance of St. Charles Borromeo, and from him received First Communion. In 1581 he went with his father to Spain, and he and his brother were made pages of James, the son of Philip II. While there he formed the resolution of becoming a Jesuit, though he first thought of joining the Discalced Carmelites. He returned to Italy in 1584 after the death of the Infanta, and after much difficulty in securing his father's consent, renounced his heritage in favour of his brother, 2 November, 1585, a proceeding which required the approval of the emperor, as Castiglione was a fief of the empire. He presented himself to Father Claudius Acquaviva, who was then General of the Society, 25 November, 1585. Before the end of his novitiate, he passed a brilliant public act in ​philosophy, having made his philosophical and also his mathematical studies before his entrance. He had in fact distinguished himself, when in Spain, by a public examination not only in philosophy, but also in theology, at the University of Alcalá. @media all and (max-width:360px){.mw-parser-output .img-center,.mw-parser-output .img-floatleft,.mw-parser-output .img-floatright{float:none!important;clear:none!important;margin:0 auto!important;padding:0!important}}.mw-parser-output .img-center{float:left;clear:both;width:100%!important;margin:1em auto;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .img-center img,.mw-parser-output .img-floatleft img,.mw-parser-output .img-floatright img{max-width:100%;height:auto}.mw-parser-output .img-floatleft{float:left;clear:left;margin:0 1em 0 0;padding:0 0.5em;max-width:100%}.mw-parser-output .img-floatright{float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 0 1em;padding:0 0.5em;max-width:100%}.mw-parser-output .img-floatmissing{display:block;border:1px solid grey;font-size:83%;font-style:italic}St. Aloysius Gongaza He made his vows 25 November, 1587. Immediately after, he began his theological studies. Among his professors were Fathers Vasquez and Azor. In 1591 when in his fourth year of theology a famine and pestilence broke out in Italy. Though in delicate health, he devoted himself to the care of the sick, but on March 3 he fell ill and died 21 June, 1591. He was beatified by Gregory XV in 1621 and canonized by Benedict XIII in 1726. His remains are in the church of St. Ignazio in Rome in a magnificent urn of lapis lazuli wreathed with festoons of silver. The altar has for its centerpiece a large marble relief of the Saint by Le Gros.

Butler, Lives of the Saints, 21 June; Acta SS., 21 June; Cepari, Life of St. Aloysius Gonzaga; Rouvier, Les Saints de la C. de J. (Paris, 1893).